


Alone together

by Damien_buttons



Series: New one [1]
Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:07:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27474022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Damien_buttons/pseuds/Damien_buttons
Summary: Engie and snipes get frozen into a building with low supplies as their teams try to find them
Relationships: Engineer/Sniper (Team Fortress 2), Engineer/Spy (Team Fortress 2), Sniper/Spy (Team Fortress 2)
Series: New one [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2007406
Kudos: 1





	1. Drained

Location unknown : serial call number - 47292016738228

It was a cozy time ... but it didn’t change the fact that it was still jam packed and eventful , some new team member under attack as soon as they went outside of the base walls or some new radio call of an accident. Not to mention the actual battle days , the other team was very aggressive and very rough . 

The engineer on the blue team was smart and genius practically and had inventions and plans the opposite team only wishes they could get their hands on . He never left thee base walls - he was the most liable of getting killed or beaten roughly to take him out of their worries but he never gave them the chance . 

Usually tucked down in his workshop like an animal burrows for the winter - he only really came out when people came to him . But he always had something else up his sleeve - some new idea . A design . A hint of a realization . He had so much to look into he never could be done because there was always something new To look into *

* Knowing that the engineer always had his hands full on some new invention, his team (consisting of a medic, spy, and demoman) did their best not to bother him. Most didn’t even need to try. Demoman usually is too drunk to notice that he’s busy and is usually knocked out somewhere on a couch. Spy could care less since he seems to have better things to do in his smoke room and generally didn’t socialize with his team unless it was strictly professional. The only member who would come in and check on the engineer, bring him food and water, and/or remind him to take a break was the medic. Though he was somewhat busy with some experiment, upgrading his medigun, taking care of his birds or whatever, he made sure to at least check on the engineer at least once a day. Other than that, the engineer had everything he needed to bring his inventions to life. No one bothered him too much, he had and was given any materials he needed, his superiors knowing how well his inventions would work in**battle. It was too perfect.*

Engies quarters Down stairs had much of everything he needed , his bedroom connected to the work shop which had a staircase down to it . Inside he had everything from simple welding to the biggest pistons to get the entire shift working , he had a storage space that connected to that going lower underground and in the workshop itself , it was filled with tables , some clean , some balled with paper , other near a trash can that was overflown with trashed ideas that he had scrapped to form something even better and worth his while , some had clay or small replicas of the bigger deals . And some were stacked with books . He usually always kept some form of music rolling around the stone walls but that’s what kept him so lively and distracted him from the fact that he was bored and wanted to talk to someone , just seeing Medic on his own was a highlight for sure but otherwise he kept to hinself and bundled in blankets while sketching in his portfolio of a note book , containing Every  
Completed idea he’s ever come up with and gone through with *

*though they seemed to work well as a team on the battlefield, they didn’t interact with each other very much, at least casually. Each merc thought of each other as coworkers and nothing more, only meeting together for meetings, battles, and some meals. Since they’ve only been working fir barely two years, it only makes sense that they don’t know much about each other. Deep down inside, Medic, Engie, and Demo want to get to know the others and potentially become good friends with their teammates. The only thing stopping them is the idea of being annoying or nosy, as well as the assumption of their friendships being frowned upon by their superiors. Spy, though, was content with the fact that he was here only to do his job and not to get closer with his teammates. In general he preferred to be alone, usually being found smoking or drinking while reading books/files in his smoking room. When he wasn’t there, he was usually walking around the base or eavesdropping on conversations, *

everything while cloaked. No one knew where he could be, he could decloak at any moment and place he wanted. His actions mostly came off as cold and emotionless due to his perfect poker face and need to keep things nonmanual. He expects space from the other mercs and gets it no problem.*

The engineer had a broken odds with the spy , one that made them not so good on terms . If there’s a weapon on the battlefield of miraculous degree - chances are engie made it and it is common that red somehow finds his plans and cops them over to their side and their advantage.. how . He could never figure out until prior to . He had remembered making spy a pocket watch that allowed him to be invisible to the optic neurons , making him blend-able to the environment. Once he had figured out that the spy was selling his material to the other team he had stopped attempting to socialize all together and just kept to himself , locked in a room that was impossible to enter without knowing a code that changed every night.

*Or unless if he allowed you in but sometimes , even he wasn’t sure if the medic that came in to see him was the medic at all , and it vastly bothered him *

*Spy was well aware that he wasn’t on the best terms with the engineer. He could live with that, he didn’t loose sleep over it. Sure, he sold the engineer’s ideas and blueprints to the enemy team. He only did what he had to do to make money and to keep his job. Spy remembers that day well, when Redmond got in contact with him somehow and offered him more than what Blutarch pays him in a month to sell him some of his engineer’s plans to his team. Of course he went with it, he needed the money. He still finds it amazing that the Administrator has said nothing about it, knowing that she basically runs the show and was probably aware of his actions. Luckily, Blutarch was never notified of what happened so he was able to keep his job after something like that. So what if he’ll never be good with engie, wanting to be alone most of the time, it didn’t seem to bother him one bit. The rest of the team wasn’t aware of the tension and drama between them, at least not yet. Spy did his best to keep it that way by staying as his cold, “professional” self. It worked, mind you. No questions or suspicions arose.*

Over the months engie just kept to himself more and more , not taking care of himself like he should , unhealthy , sick and out of sorts. He never went outside anymore and he almost never left his room unless if he had the most of an emergency. It’s not like anyone would care what he did anyway so there was no one to stop him. Most days persisted of sleeping in the same clothes that he worked in the next day , - drawing from the second that he wakes up without eating and begins to come up with tacky plans on paper before sketching ideas , then if he did happen to come across something he would work on it but most days were just drafting . A lot of times he would drink so he didn’t have to think about much , other times he’d just sleep all day . He had reached a pit of not knowing what else to do anymore but who else was there to care or stop him .


	2. If ONE person cared

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Engies a grumpy wumpus wooo
> 
> Also I forgot to mention this was an rp with my friend

Spy and Demo were unaware of what was going on with the engineer since they didn’t see him every day. Medic on the other hand began to pick up on the fact that something wasn’t right with him. He noticed how pale the engineer was, how bloodshot his eyes were, any sane human being could tell that something was up. So, he started bringing extra food and water and began to check on him a bit more often, finding that he was either sleeping or drafting. Sometimes the only thing he would do is stop by, find that the engineer is sleeping and take empty bottles of alcohol upstairs to throw them out. He didn’t know how to address this problem, he would just remind engie that he should step outside of his room and workshop for a bit. Engie would say that he’ll find a time to do that but he never has. It worried the medic, but he didn’t know what else to do. If it does get worse he’ll find a way to intervene.

Engie sometimes wanted it to be true that he was just alone in this base because that’s what it felt like , day after day doing the same exact thing . He could switch things up but he figured that if he did , the spy would just ruin it , or he’d get injured some way - some how so he just didn’t even try. He usually got supplies shipped to him and he'd leave his room on occasion to go carry the boxes down stairs , finding them heavier and heavier every time he came to drag them down and it wasn’t the fact that the material inside was changing in any way shape or form. But otherwise he didn’t usually see a reason to leave his domain.

Medic tried to keep a closer eye on the engineer but he began to get caught up in his own experiments with the medigun, only checking on him once or twice a day now. He noticed the engineer grow weaker and weaker until he thought it was enough and went down to go talk with him. The last thing they needed was for the engineer to faint during battle or grow seriously ill. He wasn’t the only one to notice surprisingly. Spy and Demo also began to slowly notice from the fact that they sometimes saw him struggle with the weight of the packages sent to him more than usual. Demo never said anything, thinking that it wasn’t his place to say something. He’d try to offer engineer a hand with them but he always refused and said he was alright. Spy, of course, kept his mouth shut and just observed from afar.

Engie just stayed solo and did what he wanted by himself , not really following medics hinting or gestures. He just wanted to be left alone , sinking further into his head and mind everyday - , the place had become a mess below but he didn’t care , it was only him down there why did it have to be tidy ? , crumpled paper and random scrap metals just lying about . He had lost his will to want to do more with his time , he started to drink more frequently and passed out at his tables or on the bed , getting sick more often from the lack of care but he couldn’t pull himself back up . 

Even Demo was more of a responsible drinker than the engineer at the moment, only letting loose the day before a match. Sure he’d drink some throughout the day but it wasn’t terrible. At one point though, Medic wasn’t having it anymore. Every time he saw the engineer he seemed to look worse every time. The others weren’t as aware of the problem as the medic, of course. So one day, he headed down to engineer’s workshop to genuinely talk with him and try to get him back on track. So he went down to engineer’s quarters and knocked on the door like he always did, announcing his presence and waiting for some sort of response from the engineer.

Engineer was unconscious at his desk with bottles clattered and stacked around him , his head rested on top of a book he was reading . Filled with stains and dog ears notes in the margins and underlined phrases . The lights were all on and there was a record playing on the same loop . He snores a little and was in the verge of falling off of his seat

*medic knocked again and jiggled the door knob, asking again if engineer was there again. He tried a couple of times before assuming that he fell asleep and walked away, planning on trying another time*

A few seconds he thudded out of his stool and hit the floor roughly , knocking his head back against the floor . He groaned and turned over some , coughing a little as he looked to the side . His head aching to the ends of the earth he sighed and covered the light from his eyes silently cursing himself *

*medic was already too far up the stairs to hear the engineer fall out of his seat. He returned back to his lab and continued studying the human anatomy out of boredom. Demo was somewhere far working on some new bombs while Spy was drinking in his smoke room and reading a magazine*

He shook a little as he glared up at the environment around , completely out of it . He shook his head trying to find some sense and wobbly got up almost falling over several times as he looked at the bottles and shoved them off the table , some breaking in the floor , some rolling away . He frustratedly picked up his book and threw it down in a rant . Stomping around his area, pushing things into a somewhat messy but neat order as he flopped into another chair and knocked his head back folding his arms , his head ringing from side to side slightly as his vision became opaque

*turns out Spy was walking around fully cloaked again and happened to walk by the staircase that leads down to Engie's quarters. He heard the ruckus from below and was tempted to go downstairs and check it out but knowing that his relationship with engie wasn't the best he decided to go fetch someone to check it out. Knowing Demo was quite far and working on explosives, he went over to the Medic's lab. Once he reached it, he decloaked and knocked on the lab doors, not wanting to see Medic cutting through a cadaver. So he waited off to the side for a response. Medic quickly went to the door being bored out of his mind only to find Spy behind it. He sighed and asked Spy what he needed and Spy told him what he heard from engie's workshop and was just curious to find out what happened. Medic sighed, and said he'll go see what's up. He made his way to the stairs and down to engie's quarters with Spy not far behind him*

Engie laid back in the chair and propped his feet up again . Getting more woozy as he looked up to the ceiling , the light spinning around in circles as it changed from light to dark. He clicked his tongue a few times before nuzzling his head into the side of the arm chair on the brink of passing out into unconsciousness, unaware of the fact that the spy and medic were coming to intervene him from his path 

*the two finally reach the entrance to the engineer's room, both wondering what could have happened. Medic thinks that engineer's unhealthy habits finally got to him and he collapsed while Spy thinks that it was from some new invention the engineer was working on. Before attempting to go in, Medic told Spy to either cloak and wait outside or for him to leave, knowing that him and engie don't get along too well. Spy sighed, and agreed, going back up the stairs and cloaking when he got near the exit. Medic watched him go up and shook his head before knocking on the door again*

Engie stirred and looked up in a huff “ w-w-what !!!!l” he groaned and turned over in the chair feeling nauseous while shaking the head ache away , frustrated. He was in the middle of a hang over and just needed to get over himself but everyone knew by now that as soon as he was sober again he would just get back to it *

*medic sighed, glad that he was at least awake for once* engineer? it's me, zhe medic? *spy was creeping back downstairs fully cloaked, interested in what was going on*

He leaned over the chair some and covered his head roughly and soggily looked at the floor , his eyes peeling together as he tried to keep them open “ w-what dooooyaaaa want “ he shook his head sagging in the chair *

oh I just vanted to check in on you...*he sighed and stayed by the door* you don't sound too good either...is everysing alright?

He couldn’t comprehend anything he was saying and just went quiet again , bobbing his head a little before looking up “ uhhhhhhhh n-no ?

can you let me in? *medic looked back and hoped that spy didn't sneak his way back down. spy did just that, he slowly tiptoed down the stairs and is standing a couple feet behind the medic*

Uhuhh “ he looked around and dropped his head some before getting up and wobbly walking before he ran into a wardrobe and thudded shaking his head a lot “ excuse me mamn “ he turned his head to the door and waved with a woozy smile

*both medic and spy cringed at sound of engie walking into something, spy more quietly of course. medic stood off to the side of the door and waited for engie to open it, hoping things weren't as bad as they sounded. Spy stayed near the staircase, still fully cloaked*

Engie finally ran into the door before feeling around for the knob and unlocked it looking at the medic   
“ huuu huuuu hey .. if you’re the spy I’ll k-kill ya - I’ll stick ya 6 feet under and you’ll be praying for your daddy .” He chuckled looking very sick as he leaned in the doorframe slumping a little

*medic shook his head and went over to help engineer steady himself. he looked around the room and quietly gasped at the sight of engineer's room. it was messy, crumpled up papers and bottles everywhere. he sighed and looked down at the engineer* you haven't been taking good care of yourself, have you? *medic gave the engineer a concerned look. spy watched through the doorway, staying near the staircase*

Engie kind of looked up and didn’t say anything before slumping against the wall again , in the brink of passing out “ w-what doooya want lewaveemealone “ he shook his head and lightly knocked it against the wall “ it’s all y’all do anyway “

I am not going to leave you alone *medic did his best to hold engineer steady and began to lead him to his bed* you should lie down, you are about to fall over

He breathed deeper and shook his head “ look Sherlock Holmes , I’m - im just fine “ he raised his voice but clearly wasn’t fine and huffed sliding a bit making his weight heavier for medic to keep up *

no, you are not *medic steadied himself and eventually dragged engineer to his bed. carrying that medigun everywhere has definitely done some good for his strength. He got engineer sitting on the edge of the bed. With one arm he reached for one of his pillows to try and lean it up against the bed frame so engie would be sort of sitting up but still lying down* can you lie down and relax for me please?

Engie leaned back against the pillow , seeping further into the sheets he smiled before frowning and folded his arms pouting , “ why are you helping me , why do you care “ he huffed and leaned back further , his eyes lulling into the back of his head

I am on your team, it is my duty to care for you. *medic smiled lightly and put a hand on engineer’s shoulder* please get some rest, we can discuss zhis matter when you are yourself

He shook his head and mumbled to himself before blacking our and going limp on the bed , tired and out of it . He continued to look sick . He could do with some sun light and some actual food

*Medic took his hand off of engineer’s shoulder and sighed. He took engie’s pulse just to make sure he was alright before pulling one of the blankets from underneath the engineer’s legs gently. He unfolded the blanket covering engie with it. Medic looked around the room and sighed, shaking his head at the mess. He doesn’t even want to know what caused engie to plummet physically and mentally the way he did but he would have to eventually. Medic walked around and began tidying up the room, picking up crumpled pieces of paper and throwing them into the wastebasket, gathering empty bottles and taking any full ones away. He only left for a moment to get some cleaning supplies from a supply closet not far from engie’s quarters. Medic left one of engie’s boots in between the door and the doorframe so he wouldn’t get locked out. Spy was still by the staircase, watching everything unfold. When Medic left he was very tempted to sneak inside the engineer’s room and workshop so he could gain more

information he could use for later. He walked up to the door and went to open it, but something inside of him stopped him from doing so. He froze, still fully cloaked, debating internally on what he should do. Spy was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn’t notice Medic approaching the door. Medic ended up bumping into Spy, dropping a broom and duster on the ground on impact. He sighed, picked them back up, and looked right at where Spy could be since he was cloaked* I think it vould be better if you stayed upstairs, Herr Spy. *Spy sighed and decloaked, his face showing no emotion* But docteur, I was not doing anything wro - I do not vant to hear it *medic interrupted* I know how you and zhe engineer are, I vill not ask again. Please leave. *medic gave spy a stern look. Spy sighed and nodded, lighting a cigarette as he proceeded back up the stairs. Medic shook his head and watched for a bit before heading back inside the engineer’s room to clean it up as best he could.*

Engie started to overheat from the blankets but was pretty much defenseless against it and dealt with it , he rolled his face over into one of the pillows and inhaled the clean laundry fumes - his brain recovering and trying to get its priorities back on track . He would occasionally groan or make noises but he was going to be okay . Despite much else he had many lucrative plans laying about that soy could easily make a fortune with but he was too shaken to know any better and put them away. The one gold piece that Redmond was looking for was engies book , of spy could get a hold of that one journal - they would be unstoppable . But engie originally had too much pride to let that happen .. now .. he barely had any

*Medic went on with sweeping around the room, checking on engie whenever he groaned or shifted in his sleep. At one point he noticed that engie was overheating under the blanket so he pulled it down so it covered on his legs in an effort to help. Once he finished cleaning up as best he could, medic took the trash up and left, leaving engie’s boot in the door way. He planned in checking on him every hour just to be safe.*

Engie quietly slept most of the way and had turned to his side , skirting the blanket further down in attempts to get it off . He didn’t really dream it was just a rock solid sleep of his brain really grinding it’s gears together roughly . Occasionally sticking in like a sore thumb, his things scattered about still somewhat . His book just lying on the table . It had his heart and soul , years of his devotion and practice with engineering , notes , facts . Ideas , sketches , finished products .. it was the true key - he’d sworn to himself he would die protecting that book if he had to well like where he is now

*medic went to the kitchen to get rid of the trash from engie’s room. Once he disposed of everything, he grabbed a bottle of water and made his way back to his lab. On the way there he saw Demo walking down the other hallway, his messy hair matching his grin. Medic assumed that whatever Demo was doing turned out to be a success and was glad that no injuries occurred. He also hoped that Spy wouldn’t go downstairs and look through the engineer’s belongings. Little did he know that Spy was about to go do just that. He had been waiting near the hallway leading to the infirmary, or medic’s lab. He planned on leaving to go down to engie’s workshop as soon as made sure that medic was officially back in his lab. Once medic did appear and return to his lab to continue his studies, Spy made his way to engie’s room, wanting to find some new inventions so he could make money off of them.* 

Engie stayed in his trance of a sleep and snuggled into the blankets , eventually returning to a semi normal state and rested , he was in dire need of water but he could retrieve such when he woke up . He had no idea of what spy would do but once he did , there would be no trust left and he would kill him for sure *


	3. Stubborn and strangled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Engie is done with the sh**

*Spy, already fully cloaked, started to make his way down the stairs. While making his way down, he felt that something was off. Normally, he approached this kind of thing without emotion and strictly professional so he could get his job done quickly but now...now he had a gut feeling that he shouldn’t be doing what he is about to do. Spy ignored the feeling and finally made it to engie’s room. He quietly opened the door, leaving the boot where it was and sneaked inside. He saw the engineer completely knocked out and began to search his room quietly, a part of him still screaming out that what he was doing was wrong.*

Engie didn’t move , it’s like he could sense something wasn’t right but he didn’t wake , he was still too physically exhausted to get up but if he were awake he would probably be losing his marbles . He mumbled again - something about him wanting to hide his things before the spy found them as he curled up a bit in worry *

*Spy didn't find anything useful in the room until he reached the desk. On it was a notebook, but it had a lock on it. Spy assumed that it was just a stupid diary and left the room, leaving things just as they were before he came in. He went up the stairs and back go his smoking room*

Engie rested for the rest of the day before getting up very groggy and tired , his vision was blurry and he felt light headed . He sat on the edge of the bed for a moment rubbing his eyes while yawning and looked up , everything spun for a second before going back into view and then he kind of jumped at the fact that the space was clean , he shook his head and stumbled getting up as he ran over to his fridge and saw his stash gone ,  
He huffed and shut the fridge looking around at the balled up paper , and whimpered when he saw the door was propped open , he knew spy had to have been in there “ there’s no way his nosy ass ain’t been in here “ he shook his head angrily and rolled up his sleeves sticking his book up in a cabinet before leaving the room and shutting the door , profuse with rage as he stomped up the stairs and made his way o spies room .

*Spy was upstairs in his smoking room, of course, pouring whiskey into a glass filled halfway with ice. He walked back to his armchair and continued flipping through a Dapper Cadaver magazine, just vibing in the silence of the room. It was peaceful, quiet, and just perfect. Spy was so relaxed, not in a million years would he expect for the Engineer to appear before his doors, especially in a bad mood*

Engie walked with haste , gritting his teeth with balled fists , he had had enough of having to wonder if someone had been snooping in his things and he was going to put an end to it , he got to the door before swinging it open roughly , the door slamming back against the wall as he treaded over the carpet to him *

*Spy sort of jumped his seat his drink down on a side table and stood up to see who it was, internally annoyed at the fact that whoever it was didn't knock. He sighed and began lighting a cigarette* it would have been so nice if you knocked *he turns around and looks down to find the engineer. He grows very confused but hides it well* Can I help you?

He stamped over to him and grabbed him by the waist coat pulling him down frustrated “ IF YOU GO SNOOPIN IN MY STUFF AGAIN THERE WONT BE NOTHIN FOR YA TO FIND , I’m about ye close to rippin you a new roofus right now .: “ I’m tempted to just let you suffer “ DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH TIME AND WORK I PUT IN “ y-you are damm selfish and you don’t even have the right to be considered a merc “ he stuttered and continued to drag his buttons down to the point of popping off *

First of all *spy wrestled engie's hands off of him* get your dirty laborer hands off my suit. Secondly, I did not go looking through your things *he took a long puff off his cigarette and exhaled it out slowly, keeping a straight face*

Engineer was the last person to be played stupid in this base . He huffed and stamped his foot aggressively “ yknow what - I can’t stand liars more than anything but now you’ve just inflicted my wrath , I ain’t dumb and you think of me like a maiden with her dress in a tangle ! , I made that cloak of yours don’t forget and I protect my gear best I can , you know I’d put up cameras that can see past my own design , I saw you and you can’t deny it . You run and you hide pretending like you’re soooo much better than everybody but once ya get in trouble ya just weasel your way out of everything “ AND IM ABOUT DONE WITH IT “ he puffed up looking redder than a rooster

*spy sighed and looked completely unphased by everything the engineer just said* did something happen that you are this upset? I have not been around you ever since the whole situation between me and you happened *spy stared engie down and took another puff* Tell me, monsieur *he exhales, a cloud if smoke covering his face* what makes you think that after all that I would choose to go looking through your belongings now? Where is your evidence?

Your an addict that’s what ya are , ya do it once ahhh well you can do it again no problem ... I’m tired of it , I’m tired of ya dragging everybody else down because you can’t handle your own problems , IM TIRED OF BEIN TREATED LIKE IM NOTHIN , cuz the real scoundrel hear is you son .... you can’t do nothin else but lie and cheat your way around the system . You don’t care about other people , their ain’t a damn strain of emotion in you and that’s what makes you so damn hard to attract to , nobody wants to help you and nobody feels sorry for ya and you’ve dug yourself into a pit “   
He poked his chest * 

So it’s just OUR duty to take care of a low life like you who thinks they are top of the crop 

He stammered

*Spy was internally ready to throw hands with the engineer but he kept calm and took a step away from the engineer. He wasn't in the mood to be lectured like that* why did you come here, again? Because you 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 I went looking through your room?

He rustled up his sleeves in a tizzy and his cheeks only got more singed to the touch , he bested his foot into the floor “ I KNOW YOU DID , THERES NO WAY THAT YOU DIDNT - STOP LYING “ he gasped for air and jousted his finger at him *

I assure you that I am not *spy sighed and looked engineer dead in the eyes, or the goggles at least. His face emotionless but his eyes slowly beginning to show how annoyed he was getting* and, once again, I ask you *he took yet another puff from his cigarette and exhaled a cloud of smoke* why do you think I did?

He stepped closer to him and woft the smoke out of his face as he looked up at him and gritted his teeth , they scraped along the bottom of his jaw , he was going to break . “ WHO ELSE LEAVES A BOOT IN THE DOORWAY AND LEAVES CIGARETTE BUTS AT THE BOTTOM OF MY - DOORWAY “ he shook his head laughing madly . “ you are dead meat and I ain’t takin it no more “

Do you want the truth?! *spy sighed, just tired of engie's bickering* all you have been doing is accusing me of something I didn't do, and to be honest, I am quite tired of it. *he sighed*

His face turned from tense to a limp feeling and his lip shook , he didn’t want to accept it , he didn’t want to believe there was any honesty within the shell in front of him “ n- no ,,,, you’re lying !”

I understand why you think the way you do. *spy looked down at his cigarette for a split second before returning his gaze to engie* i do not blame you either. If you calm down and just 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯 to me, I'll tell you what happened. *spy seemed calm but he just wanted to be left alone*

This !- * he backed away from him abruptly * - this is e x a c t l y what I’m talkin about . “ * he laughed and buried his head in his hands losing his mind laughing * he looked up looking terribly ill and walked towards him menacingly and backed him towards the wall “ you weasel your way out of everything by blaming it on someone else or lying “   
You “ - he took a step   
Are “- he looked up at him boldly   
Such”- he pointed a finger   
A “- he smiled crazily   
Fox”- he laughed

*spy internally freaked out from engineer backing him up into the wall. He had been studying engie's moves ever since he entered his room and it didn't take long to notice that engie was damn near close to loosing his mind. he gently took engie's finger and pulled it down and away from him. He did his best to ignore everything engie had just said, it was true. Doing just that was what he was being paid for* you came here for the truth, non?

I came here .... lil boy , to stop messing with my things . “ *he shoved him * and keep your crooked nose in your own damn business “ he huffed and shook his head sternly before walking away .“ if I catch you in my stuff again ... I assure ya ... you will be dead “ he looked at him harshly before pulling his overall straps up and turned around leaving

*spy shrugged and watched him leave. He walked over to a table and extinguished his cigarette in an ashtray* oh and next time you decide to come up here and bother me with your assumptions made purely on your emotions? *he stood up straight and fixed suit, looking right at him* please knock first *he smiled lightly. that smile looked sly though, it was just his nature*

Engie looked at him before grimacing and slamming the door shut as he huffed and stamped back to his office winding past medics lab as he looked around and up , he stopped for a moment and shoved his face into his hands before looking down at his feet. He took his glove off before punching the wall forcefully and snickering he laughed and continued to walk , dragging his hand along the wall before going outside , he needed it and he could care less what happened

*spy went back to his armchair and took a sip of whiskey before sitting down and flipping to the page he left off from in his magazine. You'd think that medic would hear the ruckus of engie punching the wall and dragging his hand along it and his maniacal laughter but no. Medic assumed that after the amount engie drank that he would sleep until the late afternoon, planning on checking in him then. He was listening to jazz music at full volume and tidying up his lab. No one knew that engie was leaving the base*

Engie headed outside into the blistering cold wind . It hit him like a bus but he only wore his overalls, no undershirt , no coat . He didn’t care , he kept walking out into the snow completely jam packed with it , it rained upon him like hell but he didn’t care . He just continued going further and further away into the fog before it started to get to him . He started to realize what he was doing and panicked looking around , realizing he was lost and didn’t know how to get back . The cold consuming him and freezing his skin to complete numbness . He tried to shout but the wind was louder than him . It started to become too much before he blacked out.


	4. A huge mistake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The title is self explanatory

*Spy was getting all comfy in his armchair and doing his best to forget about that argument with engineer when a feeling of guilt began to crawl over him like maggots on a dead body. A part of him wanted to forget about this stupid argument but the other wants to go down to the engineer’s workshop to apologize and explain what happened since the man did deserve a proper explanation. A couple minutes passed by, filled with the internal bickering over what to do until Spy sighed and stood up, to go and tell the engineer what happened. After all, he did look worse and worse every coming day, it was best to tell him that there is in fact someone who is trying to make his situation better. He sighed and stood up, not believing what he was about to go do. Spy closed and set his Dapper Cadaver magazine down next to his ashtray on the table and took his glass of whiskey, finishing the rest in one gulp and returning it to where the rest of his bottles of fine liquor were. Right as he went to open the door and leave he heard a knock. Not a normal knock, but one someone would make when in a dire emergency. Spy sighs, fixes his suit and goes to open the door, expecting the engineer again. He opens the door and finds a frantic medic behind it, poorly hiding the fact that he is worried about something* hello, docteur...is there something wro - HAVE YOU SEEN ZHE ENGINEER?! *medic cut in. Spy froze, completely surprised by the question* well, the engineer was just up here with me, as surprising as that is. Shouldn’t he be back downstairs or somewhere about the base? *medic shook his head* no I vent downstairs to check on him just now but he was nowhere to be found so I walked around zhe ENTIRE base and he is nowhere and knowing his current state of mind zhis is not good! *medic had decided to go check on engie a bit earlier since he finished cleaning up his lab quite early. When he went to engie’s room, the boot was still left in the doorway so he easily got back in. Upon entry

he noticed that the engineer wasn’t in his bed. Naturally, medic went up to the door leading to his workshop and put his ear against to hear if the engineer had gone to work on something. It was dead silent so medic knocked a couple of times, getting no response. He then checked the kitchen and bathrooms and found him nowhere. He began to panic and checked the entire base, not finding him anywhere. So he first went to Spy, knowing that he stayed in fairly one place* Please stay calm, I am sure he is around here somewhere. *spy did his best to ease medic’s worries but it did no good* no I swear I checked THE ENTIRE BASE!!! *spy shook his head. Engineer was always in his workshop, if he was truly missing, where could he have gone?*

Engie sunk further into the thick layers of snow , his body rushing all the blood to the important parts of his body such as his organs and while his limbs started to fade blue from hypothermia. His breathing had gone very faint and his Ill look became completely sick , he shivered until going almost completely still , his lips turning to a deep blue . Someone came and found him , they forcefully pulled him out of the snow before dragging his limp and frail body through the snow. Engie was on the brink of dying so he couldn’t do anything against it .

*medic was still with spy, on the verge of completely freaking out* do not worry medic, I am sure he is around here somewhere *spy tried giving him a sympathetic grin when he heard demo walking down the hallway, sounding a tad bit drunk. He stopped at Spy’s smoking room since he saw medic and sky talking* who is around *burps* here somewhere? *demo took another swig from his bottle of scrumpey and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. Spy sighed and medic explained what was happening* oh the engineer? He uhhhhhh went outside yeah *he shrugged* HE WHAT?! *medic and soy shouted back, knowing that engie was probably the most likely to get taken away by the other team if he ever decided to go outside. Demo nodded though, too drunk to get understand what he was getting at* whatdooya mea - *it clicked and demo stares back at them in complete and total shock. Engie was the last person they needed to get captured or, worst case scenario killed. It wasn’t long before the mercs were running to their rooms for their winter gear, also grabbing a few weapons. They needed to find him, stat*

They pulled him into a truck further away before tying him up and putting him in the back , the tall man in the back looked at his freezing body and shook his head throwing blankets all over him and gave him medication , they left him in the restraints as the mobiles car warmed him up again and he got better , but they kept a gag over his mouth , the large driver stayed silent while they skirted their tires and left going away , the snow flying up behind them , it was hard to hear though as the wind howled worse , the snow coming to a slow halt , the last thing that could be seen disappearing were their red tail lights in the midst *

*the three blu mercs met each other at the door and once they deemed they were ready and had everything they needed they quickly got out of the base and started to go through the snow, calling out the call name of their missing partner. Spy went a bit to the left, medic went straight ahead, and demo took the right side. They all stayed within visual distance from each other. At one point, demo called everyone over and pointed to a small ditch in the snow where the engineer could have fallen after blacking out from the cold. Right next to it where footsteps and weird long lines. They followed the trail until they hit the road and tire marks. The worst they feared has happened, engie was taken by the RED team.*

The car shook and rocked , swaying from the wind and the snow . In the very back was engie, still tied down and unconscious. Now less pale . The blood was returning to his elbows and knees while they went further and it wasn’t long before people within the car began to argue and shout at one another . Being that since they were in such a small space . It was very straining to the ears - engie was still very tired though and took whatever rest he could get .

*Medic, Demo, and Spy trudged back to the base, not sure where to start. Luckily they knew that Engie was definitely in the hands of the RED team. Still, they had no idea what they were going to do to their engineer, what specific information they were going to try getting out of him. Whether BLU team liked it or not, the clock was ticking, and they had to come up with plan fast. They all got their jackets, snowpants etc. off and met up in kitchen. Demo and Medic were already there when Spy entered. Medic was already beginning to stress out, and as soon as he saw Spy enter he ran up to him and grabbed him by his suit* VHAT DID YOU DO?! *Spy, obviously startled tried to free himself from medic's strong grip* pardon docte - He was with you last! VHAT did you do?! *Medic's eyes were wide open and full of worry for his fellow teammate. spy managed to get his hands off of him and he stood up straight fixing his suit* What happened? What happened when he was with me was that we got in an argument about the fact that he assumed that I broke into his room. And then he stormed out and that was the last I heard of him. I did not say anything that could have caused him to do that! *spy sighed and lit a cigarette while medic stood their frozen in place before he returned to his spot near demo* so, do any of you have a plan yet? *medic and demo nodded* we have a rough idea, BUT *medic chuckeled and looked at spy* It's gonna be you who carries most of it out *Demo finished and smirked. Spy stood there, not knowing what to say back. He expected this, being the spy and all, but knowing his relationship with the engineer, he was sort of worried*

The tall red held watch over the engineer in the back , tilting his shades up as he leaned back against the side of the vehicle keeping a stern look over him , the larger of the three stayed in the drivers side - hunched with his shoulder crooked up against his head and the ceiling . He kept his mouth shut and watched the blistering snow fly before him , the wind shield wipers dusting back and forth in a repeated pattern . There was no radio , no noise except for the short and subtle movements of engie moving , or occasional hale that would hit the sides of the car aggressively.   
The taller of the two turned his head over to the front and tilted his snow cap down some . “ how long do ya reckon it’ll take ?“ . He peeked up , his voice musky and drawn with accent . The one in the front didn’t tilt his glare for a few moments before looking up into the rear view mirror and to him “ will not take long . Will break quickly . Especially with poison in beer we send” he gestured before going Silent again , the other looked down and over to the bundled man . “ I’m against this .. I’d rather not have redmand rip my neck outta joint though “. He sighed folding his gloved hands together -pushing his legs down slightly . , the driver nodded and lowered his upper lip - unhooking his jaw from grip. “ have to .. is job “ he gritted his teeth and glanced out the side of his window*.  
The other one nodded “ yeah .. yeah ... true “.

*Spy looked unphased but he was starting to worry on the inside. It was silent for a moment until medic decided to speak up* Vell, most of it at least...you vill be zhe one to find zhe engineer inside zhe Red base. Demoman and I vill be creating a slight distraction once you find him. *Spy looked at the two, wanting to get this over with already* shall we notify our bosses or are we keeping this to ourselves? *Medic shook his head, Demo stood off to the side and didn't really know what to say, his mind occupied with the types of bombs he'll need for the distraction* zhey probably already know zhat, zhere being cameras everywhere and all. But zhat is zhe least of our vorries. Ve all know zhat our base is similar to RED's. Ve know zhat zhe area vhere captured members of enemy teams are kept are in zhe same general area as zhe ones ve have. Zhat vill makes things easier. *medic covered his mouth and sighed. He was quite worried, knowing how bad engie's condition was, it could make things worse for him there. He tried not to think about what RED was going to do and got back to the plan*

Engie turned over and got pulled by the ropes holding him down . He groaned and nuzzled his face further into the blankets helping him and continued to rest while the tall man looked over him , keeping his knees bent in front with his elbows propped up on his knees . He thought about how wrong everything he was doing was . He sighed and ripped his head down . The vehicle hit a large bump which knocked him back against the wall . He groaned rubbing the back of his neck and glared over at the driver “ easy will ya “ the man shook his head and pulled the blankets back over the engineer before looking out of the frozen window . They went further and further , seemingly for hours .. it was it just his imagination. There was nothing , no dialogue, no noise , no clocks , no movement. It was just still . Over time the vehicle came to a slow and steady stop .   
The taller man had fallen asleep but once the swaying of the vehicle had stopped he woke up , sheepishly rubbing his eyes looking around At his surroundings again “ oi we there yet ?” . The larger man pulled on a thick snow mask and nodded pulling the coat over his shoulder “ da “ he muffled . He took the keys out of the ignition and got out of the car trudging through the whistling wind . He got near the back and with the click of the door knobs he pulled them open , it was almost dusk in the darkness beyond , making the snow more grey in the distance . He started climbing in slightly and grabbed onto the engineer tugging him closer , the taller man jumped a little and unhooked his seatbelt holding him to the wall and let the larger man take him into his bold arms . “ careful mate “ . He muffled and shivered grabbing his snow gear and sipping it back on .

Okay *medic and demo inch closer over the kitchen table while spy stays sort of in the back* So, once again, Spy, you vill be the one who goes in and searches for the engineer. As soon as you find him and are close to the exit, demomam and I vill set up a distraction near one of zhe doors using zhe sticky bombs. as soon as you get zhe engineer in zhe truck ve vill return and drive back at once *medic pauses for a moment and sighs, stroking his chin deep in thought before his eyes lit up with a new idea* actually no, ve vill only create zhe distraction if someone spots you. Are we clear? *demo and spy   
both nod* alright zhen, start preparing. Ve leave in zhe morning. *medic turns around and heads back to the lab, trying not to stress out too much. Demo went off to his workshop across the base to whip up some stickies while Spy walked the halls of the base, wanting to be left alone with his thoughts*


	5. Well hello there

The taller one shivered and closed the doors behind as the wind hit him abruptly, he shook and muttered to himself grotesquely and shook his head, his feet sinking deeper into the powered snow and into a deeper and thicker substance , he pulled the coat tighter around his waist and buttoned it while pulling glasses up to shield his eyes from the flying crystals in the air , just following the larger hams dark silhouette. “ oi wait up “ he coughed and shielded his cheeks from the grapes of wind , trudging further to follow . He eventually got close enough to just follow right behind , the world around was completely grey and white . It was impossible to know where they were by just looking . The larger man trudged further on what seemed like a ten minute venture until coming across a small building in the middle of no where , it certainly wasn’t the base . This was too isolated for that. The larger man opened the door and went in , leaving the other to get the door for himself before heading in . Once they were in , the taller one shivered and covered his face , trying to melt the numbness away from his blistered nose , it was a pretty small space with one larger room with a lone fireplace and a side room all of the windows were boarded up with wood and sheets and the floor was stone cold there was few furniture appliances but nothing too special, and there were a few leaky pipes here and there on a steady pace and the distant howl of wind could heard continuously. The boulder of them sat engie down on the floor before tightening the restraints on his hands and feet so if he woke up he wouldn’t bolt . Then he went over to the fireplace and began sticking logs in so they could warm themselves.

The taller man rubbed his hands together and exhaled into them in hopes to improve his own state “ so uhh this temperament… you’re used to it ? “ he looked over as the bigger man put a lighter near the gasoline infested wood and it burst into light “ da .. is home” he waved his fingers away and stuck the lighter back in a pocket before standing up and situating the space around . The taller one nodded and sighed fixing his hat as his teeth shattered vigorously. He looked to the crouched engineer and picked him up by the waist , groaning as he brought him over near the fire and let it warm his blue skin . “ ya just gotta stay warm “ he whispered and took off his beanie - pulling it over engies head -letting him crouch up to the warmth before him with a small smile , trying to ignore the fact of the matter of what he was doing . He thought deep to himself { why am I doin this , I shouldn’t be treating him politely but then again isn’t that the human thing to do , it’s cruel what I’m bein sent to do but I don’t wanna die ,.... and maybe if he cooperates he won’t have to either } he looked up and shook his hands together . Jittering as he took a cigarette out of his back pocket.

*spy walked around the base, a path of smoke from his cigarette following close behind. His footsteps echoed through the hallway as he kept going wherever these halls would lead him to, fully uncloaked. He didn’t mind being out in the open for once, he was alone, everyone was too busy getting ready. He didn’t have to prepare as much as the rest, he was just bringing his pistol, butterfly knife, invis watch, and some ammo. Having assigned the toughest part of the plan, he was bringing the least out of everyone. As he turned around to head back to his smoking room, he wondered on how things were going to play out. Knowing that engie probably ran out of the base without the proper clothes on, the poor bastard could have already frozen to death when he was found, or at least suffering from hypothermia while being transported to the enemy base (his thoughts, not mine). Spy shook his head as he turned a corner, dropping bits of ash from his cigarette. He thought about how much time he had with the cloak once he found engie. He was planning on bringing an extra invis watch with him, knowing his cloak didn’t have enough power to support two people. Also taking in the fact that the invis had to recharge at one point. He sighed and leaned against the wall, he knew what he has to do, it was quite simple. If anyone came along he would just put a bullet in their knee to slow them down. He just hoped that engie would cooperate and not fight him when he came to bring him back. While Spy paced the the base like a night guard at a museum, Medic was packing a small bag with simple medical supplies. Needles, stitches, a case of syringes filled with accurate doses of a serum he developed that healed flesh wounds, bandages, guazes, morphine, a small surgical kit, just to be safe. He hoped that the RED team wasn’t going to do anything serious to the engineer but he also had Spy and Demo to look after so he just wanted to be prepared as well as possible. Especially knowing that respawn was normally off in between battles, he really didn’t want to risk anything. Way across the base though, Demo was quickly whipping up a new batch of stickies, ones that wouldn’t do too much damage as his others but visually would like they did. Though he drank on a regular basis and looked like he would be a regular at your local bar, he had a vast knowledge of chemistry and had many chemical reactions for bombs memorized It wasn’t long before he had enough to test, and he got up to go test them in a separate blast proof chamber. Normally he would test them outside, but every since they have been stationed here in this snowy desolate area, he couldn’t do that unless he was risking to evoke an avalanche. He went up to a metal door and punched in a code before going in and placing a single bomb in the middle of the room. He made sure it was armed and ready to explode at the click of a button before leaving he room and shutting he door tightly. He

went up to a metal door and punched in a code before going in and placing a single bomb in the middle of the room. He made sure it was armed and ready to explode at the click of a button before leaving he room and shutting he door tightly. He then made sure he had written down the bomb’s specific formula before sliding open a vertical peephole on the heavy metal door, and looking in, taking a few seconds to make sure he had a good view of the bomb before detonating it. all one could hear is a muffled BOOM, and thanks to the blast proof walls, no one got hurt and the force of the bomb was stifled. Demoman grinned and opened the door after a few seconds to view the damage. The middle of the room had a small little blast mark from the bomb and was still full of smoke, just like demo wanted it to be. He chuckled and left the room, going back to his lab to recreate that same bomb a couple more times*

The taller man flicked the cigarette around in his fingertips a few times before sticking it a hairs length next to the fire as it caught on and he levered it back to his mouth , taking a small huff . He usually wasn’t one for smoking but this winter had made him start , always constantly freezing- he felt like he needed it. He let his insides roll around with the tar before coughing it out and waving his hand in front of his face with a small groan . He rubbed the bottom of his face , brushing his palm up against his stubble before shaking his head and taking another whiff . His knees knocking together slightly. He took a watery glare up at the larger man who had situated a table and a chair with some rope and looked over it a few times before calling it sturdy enough and sighed. The only noises that accompanied them were the chilling screams of the wind outside and the very quiet hum of the fire . He tipped his head up against the wall and then pulled his fur coat up to his neck , he began to mutter to himself so he wouldn’t go insane and looked at his watch. 

It wasn’t long until the larger man came over and forcefully tried to pick up the engineer . The leaner one shook his head and grabbed his wrist .” He’s not done- ya gonna freeze him to death just wait until he’s awake “ he sputtered until realizing his closeness and backed away taking his hands off of him before taking the parched cigarette out of his mouth and sat down next to the glow again . Trying to avoid starting any arguments , ones with Pavel never went well . He crossed his arms and glared into the flames , tightening his mouth to a point so he wouldn’t say anything.  
Pavel shook his head before gently sitting the man back down again “ keep alive until awake ,... put in chair after “ he pointed with his oversized finger and boldly looked into him . He nodded and took another puff of his cigarette before blowing its abundance in an opposing direction to anyone “ I will “. He gave another confirming nod before Pavel nodded and looked over the cold room and opened the large wooden door , heading back out into the snow , a loud bark of wind gusting in and a hunk of snow as well, Pavel covered his face with a scarf before heading out and aggressively shutting it , to make sure it was sealed behind . 

THe leane man sighed and looked at the startled fire before throwing in another log to get it going again . He pulled the engineer a little closer to the embers . He hated seeing other people suffer if they didn’t have to . And just his constant shaking kept him at an uneasy state . “ we’ll figure this out “ . He muttered.

*spy sighed and opened the door to his smoking room, entering and extinguishing his cigarette in a nearby ashtray (there are like twenty of them scattered around the room). He paced the room for a bit before going over to a mahogany dresser and pulling out a case containing the Ambassador. He opened the case and lifted the gun up, holding it and running a finger over its engraved designs. He set it back down and pulled out two more cases, one containing another Ambassador and the other empty, originally holding his pistol. Spy opened his coat pocket and pulled out the pistol, putting it back into the case and shutting it. He ended up taking of the suit coat completely and gently folded it in half and placed it on the arm of his chair. He walked back over to the dresser and opened the second case. He pulled each gun out, loaded them, put them on safety and placed them in into the concealed carry holster he had on before securing them and going over to the armchair to grab his coat.

He walked back over to the cases, coat in hand, and began to shut them. Once they were back where they were originally found he slid his coat back on and buttoned it back up. He went back over to his armchair and pulled his butterfly knife out. He stared at it for moment, the blade glinting lightly from a nearby light. He sighed and began to play with it, doing different hand tricks with it while he thought about tomorrow’s plan*


	6. What will we ever do

Engie opened his eyes , they felt swollen and red , he tried to look around but everything was distorted under an orange and yellow glow, he felt pressured .. like his face was pressed up against the floor , his sheep squishing his right eye . He tried to sit up but he felt his hands bound behind his back tightly , he couldn’t move them at all , he flinched at the leather somewhat cutting into his skin and bit the bottom of his lip . He tried to move his feet but they were under the same Scenario. He wiggles a little to see if he could climb out free but had no luck before giving up and staying flat on the floor . His muffled hearing turned clearer when he heard someone humming and looked up . A little scared . He saw the figure of someone but who ? He couldn’t tell . It certainly wasn’t anyone from his team . He cornered his eyes up to what he could see and from what fuzzy blur that he could make out he wasn’t at the base … or at lease somewhere in the base he’s never been but then again why would someone tie him up inside the base . He took a deep breath to calm down a little and tried to open his mouth but it felt dried shut , ruffled together like if he peruses them the skin would rip off , engie wasn’t sure what to do . He had known the hazards of going outside but had not expected this to happen , and then again he never remembered going outside , the last thing he remembered was a vague memory of fighting with the spy before waking up here … where is here. 

He grumbled and continued to try to sit up before the one watching him noticed and reached over offering a hand , he had no intention to put him into the chair , he wanted to be as polite as possible but that had to come with an extent . He would do his best . He helped him up into a sitting position and looked over at him , he continuously tried to free his hands but he couldn’t , there was a blood rush from his head being that he was in that position for so long and had a dying urge to stroke the side of his pale face but couldn’t so he just decked with it , he felt his throat lurch upwards and he muffled a hum which turned into stuttering . “ wh- who are y-you “ he suddenly realized how cold he really was and hugged his knees to his chest , eager to hold himself but his hands were behind his back so he continued to struggle.

I’m the sniper…. from the red team .. Redmond came and-“ why ! “ he whimpered and tried to scoot away . Sniper was taken back and kind of stuck his lip out some   
“ why what ? , “ why can’t y-you j-just leave our t-t-team alone .. I c-can’t g-go outside b-because of you “ he fidgeted . Sniper looked down and shook his head “ mate I can’t help that “ . Engie shook his head a little frustrated “ and then y-you send that buffoon to go d-diggin in my things I ca ca can’t “ he whined and shivered . Sniper sighed and took off his coat perfectly warm now before propping it on his shoulders . “ I’m sorry “ 

*Medic paced around the lab, his boots making loud clicks on the tiled floor each step he took. Lost in thought he buried his face into the palms of his hands and groaned angrily. What happened was that the engineer left the base. He was a highly wanted target for the other team, they all knew how risky it was for the engineer to leave the base both alone and with someone else in between battles. So why would he leave now? Medic shook his head and leaned against the examination table, wondering if engineer’s mental and physical condition just drove him to the point where he wasn’t even thinking straight. That could have been the case, he thought to himself as he tilted his head back and stared up at the operating lights. He exhaled loudly and walked back over to a trolley that had Medic’s bag on top of it. He opened it up and began to search it for the twentieth time, wanting to make sure that everything he needed was in there. While he was pulling out the surgical kit to make sure that. the proper instruments were in there, Archimedes, who was perched up on one of the operating lights, flew over and landed on Medic’s right shoulder. He rubbed his tiny little head against the doctor’s cleanly shaven jaw and cooed sweetly, as if he were trying to tell his companion that everything was going to be alright. Medic couldn’t help but chuckle and gently pet the bird’s head* I hope zhe engineer vill be alright too. *he smiled sadly and put the kit back into the bag before zipping it up and stepping away from it* God knows vhat ve vould do vithout him.

Sniper tilted his head back some and started to break down , what was he doing here , why was he doing this , why did he ever agree to this , he was forced really but couldn’t he have found a loophole ? . He took another breath off of his cigarette to calm down before exhaling down at the floor , the smoke reverberating upwards and looking for an escape into the plane . Engie huddled into the coat and let the wool keep him together , he shut his eyes tight trying to make sense of everything, why had this happened .. what did he do last week …. or the week before that ? He couldn’t remember. It was Like someone took a pair of scissors and cut that piece of his life away . He knew he’d been drinking but it surely wasn’t bad enough to that degree , maybe one or two … then he remembered his lust for it , like if he would die without it . He licked his dry lips and ignored everything else around him.

“ so … I have a few apologies to make … it Inn none of my business telling you but I feel Like it’s all your right” he fixed his shades and dabbed the buds off of his cigarette “ Redmond took over your supply and basically poisoned the alcohol that was going to you … got you addicted like “*snap * “ and …. he did pay your spy to go digging …” as soon as engie heard that name he turned his head not wanting to listen . Still keeping an anchor in his tongue “ they aren’t very nice … on red . They force us to do stuff .. the pyro really is a good chap it’s just .. things get out of hand with our sweet employer … Deryl … our soldier can be caring to .. and they put pavel in charge cuz he’s bold and strikes us in order … if we try to leave they’ll kill us … and if we don’t do what we’re made then … they’ll punish us .. I never wanted to hurt ya .. and it ain’t fair , I’m sorry “ 

Engie shook his head not wanting to hear it , it felt like pins and needles gargled in his throat when he tried to talk so he just thought to himself , not saying anything “ sorry … sorry , what good does sorry do for him , he’d lost his mind over the last months and all he had to any of it was “sorry” he was flustered , all of his precious work stollen   
All of the hours wasted out of his own time   
All of the drinking he couldn’t control   
All of the actions with no thought 

“Sorry “

He shook his head and shut his eyes in a mood but he was unfit and out of sorts to do anything now .. so he stayed put. Sniper sighed and looked around at the table before getting up and grabbing a pair of keys , he sat down in front of engie again and looked him in the eyes empathically before going around and letting his hands loose , he sighed from the relief and rubbed his wrists together , trying to sooth their redness before stroking the side of his cheek , moreover it now . He knew he was in the middle of nowhere , trying to escape was useless so he didn’t try. Hmm

*a few more hours pass and it is getting late. Outside the wind howled with such intensity it was like it was mourning over something. Other than the light sources on the outside of the base it was pitch black, you could barely see a foot or two ahead of you. The heavy downfall of snow didn’t help either. Inside, the three BLU mercs were finishing up preparations for tomorrow’s mission to get back their kidnapped coworker. Demoman was finishing up on the last bomb and got the rest ready to be transported tomorrow by putting them in protective cases. After that he called it a day and made his way to the kitchen to find something to drink and wind down before to tomorrow’s task. Medic left his lab not long after so he could go to sleep earlier. Spy stayed in his smoking room, playing with the knife until he grew sleepy and fell asleep on his chair. Demo had a few drinks and ended up passing out on the kitchen table. Soon enough, every one of them was sleeping somewhat well*

Engie sighed and shook his head before laying down again , tired cold and worn out . He held his arms tightly to his shoulders thinking if he just gave up maybe everything else would and he wouldn’t have to worry , sniper just looked over with a sigh and threw his cigarette into the fire , the used paper bursting into flames and melding into the rest of the logs . Engie tried to think about all the things they may or may not attempt to do , if Redmond was after him - How would he be used . He shook his head and just shrugged , at this point he could care less . No one cared about him - not even his own team , there was no faith to look into hope so he completely accepted what was coming , who knows - maybe they’ll get a new engineer that sot can actually smell shit from and leave alone . He chuckled a little at the thought and propped his arms up , warm near the fire and exhausted falling asleep again and into a deep one . 

*well, not all of them. Medic laid in bed but everytime he tried closing his eyes it would only be a matter of seconds before they popped back open, as if he wasn't trying to fall asleep. He sighed and turned around on his side, pulling his pillow closer and resting his head on it. What was he so worried about? Why is he overthinking everything?! He pulled over his alarm clock that sat near his lamp and squinted to see what time it was. It was only 2:37 in the morning and they were leaving at 4:30, meaning that they should be already up and getting ready at 4 am. He sighed annoyingly and flipped back over onto his back, kicking at the sheets gently as he was starting to overheat. Medic stared up at the ceiling while his mind played with a billion "what if" questions like it were a presentation. What if things don't go as planned? What if someone gets seriously injured? What if they all get captured? What if the engineer is somewhere else and not in the main base? What if they find Spy and capture him instead? What if on the way to the enemy base their truck got buried deep under the snow or if they hit some ice and crash? He closed his for a moment, trying to take deep breaths to calm down and just ignore his stressful thinking but so much was going on inside his mind and body that he just couldn't focus. What was going on? He never felt this stressed out before a regular battle, so why is he stressing out this bad now? He sighed and tried slowing his breathing. He managed to control it for a moment before another far-fetched thought about the mission crossed his mind and he fell back to square one. He sat back up in a flash, gripping his sheets tightly as he felt his breathing quicken with the incessant pounding of his heart. He shook his head and pulled his knees to his chest. "Vhy am I panicking so much zhis normally does not happen it is not even that difficult it is just going to save our teammate it is not vorth fretting over vhy am i like zhis?! *insert internal scream*" Figuring that he probably wouldn't fall back asleep he got out of bed. As walked for the door he reached for his robe, which was hanging off the door to his closet. He slipped it on and tied it around his waist and made his way to the kitchen to get some water, hoping that would help calm him down. Spy was sound asleep, his butterfly knife still resting in his hand but slowly slipping out of his limp grip. He didn't worry too much about the mission, it was just another part of his job he had to get done, nothing more. A part of him did feel bad and hoped that things will be alright with the engineer and that maybe they could make amends but the other side who approached everything professionally and without emotion shoved it to the back of Spy's mind and reigned over him. Other than that, he slept like a baby in that armchair.


	7. Subzero at bay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cold

Demoman, on the other hand, was having the time of his life. He was excited to go and save his teammate and most importantly, try out his new batch of bombs. In celebration of his new bomb formula he had a couple of drinks and ended up knocking out at the kitchen counter, his head buried into his arms on the granite countertop. He snored softly but being that it was dead silent in the base, Medic could hear it before he turned the corner to the hallway that lead to the kitchen.   
Medic shuffled to the fridge containing just water, glancing over demo as he pulled a bottle out of the packaging. He closed the fridge and quietly walked over to demo. He leaned on the counter across from him and opened the water bottle open taking a quick sip before he looked over demo, poking his arm once just to see how hard the alcohol knocked him out. Demo moved his arm closer to him but other than that he didn't even wake up. Medic sighed and left the kitchen to go back to his room, hoping that they'll   
be able to wake him up. He felt better after some water but he was still worried about the engineer and what the RED team wanted from him*

Sniper watched him with a sigh and fixed the coat ontop of him to keep the small engineer warm before huddling next to the rising embers of the fire , he pulled out a poking fork and jacked around with the crumbling logs as the spark rose up and once he deemed it good he sat the pole down again , hugging his arms to his chest . What would happen if the blue team came to fetch their team mate , they certainly wouldn’t find him at the base. He shook his head and pulled off his shades. Tucking them into the folds of his collar scared some . He knew the blues to be bold and prestigious but he knew that even if they may not be the closest if people when working together , they are still very admirable and loyal to themselves and they wouldn’t take losing a mate lightly for that . He glared up . He knew something bad was going to happen that he couldn’t help but he was used to that worry by now . He laid his head down on the back of the wall and stuck his feet up before sighing and shutting his tired eyes . It was a wonder Pavel wasn’t back by now … he wasn’t too concerned. He’ll be back soon and then the reign of torment will continue. He figured he would get in trouble for letting engies hands loose but he was prepared to fight that battle for him . He felt himself get dizzy and tired before knocking his head to the side and falling asleep . Huddled to what warmth he could come across. It was very cold outside and the roads had frozen . The snow didn’t stop and continued to fall like mad . Going out at a time like this was suicid. But amidst in the further you go the darker will show 

The night passed and sniper had fallen asleep leaning against a wall , when he woke up to a nibbling feeling at his finger and saw a rat he kicked it away with a shiver and rubbed his shoulders sitting up looking around , the fire had gone out and it was still dark but that was shed from the boards and curtains around the windows , it was still light outside . Sniper rubbed his eyes before standing up and looking around . He backed up and stretched his leg up against the wall before shifting his arms out . He was still cold but got used to it. he looked down at the crumpled engineer with a sigh , still feeling bad , at least he has his arms now to move freely with . That still wasn’t much of a pro . It wasn’t until he looked around that he realized there was no pavel , he scratched the top of his head before going to the door and trying to open it , it was shut , he groaned and put his foot up against the wall pulling but it wouldn’t open , he shook his head and looked over , dusting his hands against his pants and went to the window , ripping down the boards collectively and the curtains , filling his fingertips with splinters he pressed his hands up against the window and tried to brush away the frost … there was nothing , it was just complete snow . He shook his head and backed away “…bloody hell we’re snowed in “ and indeed they were . No way in - no way out … no food no warmth besides the few logs they had left … no heavy to dig them out . 

Sniper groaned and leaned against the door banging his fists profuse with anger. Engie groaned and rolled over on the floor before looking up and shielded the light from his swollen eyes , he huffed and covered the, with his fingers rubbing them for clarity and sat up . His feet tied right together . He tried to stand up but just fell over from inbalance . He huffed and hit the floor . Busting his tail and shook his head “ w-what .” He pulled up his overall straps and the coat covering his bare skin on his arms and chest. Sniper turned around leaning on the door with a few bloody fingers “ were trapped …. the doors frozen shut and we’re buried in .” He covered his eyes and engie looked up shaking his head “ n-no that ain’t right . We can’t be . He struggled to stand up again but just fell . “ We ca-will you get these damned things offa me “. He shook his head and dug his fingers underneath the metal , digging at it.  
Sniper looked over before grabbing the keys off of the table and came back over . Unlocking his shackles before he stood up very wobbly and held his arms out for support. Looking up with a little frown , “ didn’t you have someone else here ,... whys it just me and you “. , sniper looked to the door again “ well I did have a partner but he left to do something . I assume he’s snowed out … may be here right now trying to get us out . Who knows “ he shrugged and wiped his red and runny nose “ we’ve gotta get another fire started” he muttered looking back at the ashes from last night.

*a couple of hours pass and the three mercs were already on the road, or at least they think its the road. Last night's storm brought in a lot of heavy snowfall, it was like someone spilled a bag of powdered sugar onto the area they are stationed in. Even though they were all bundled up the cold still made efforts to nip at any exposed skin. Even in the truck the three men kept their ski masks, gloves and scarves on, not wanting to feel the painful stinging of the icy wind. Down the "road" they went though, nice and steady, surprisingly having too much difficulty with the snow. Sure they stuck the snow twice and almost swerved into a tree to avoid a caribou but we won't talk about that. The headlights were shining brightly but the outdoor darkness seemed to consume the light as much as it could. Medic kept a very close eye on the road while Spy, sitting in the passenger seat, directed Medic towards the RED base, having memorized the path there. Demoman was chilling in the backseat, still half asleep. After a few long and brutal hours the mercs could see the RED base. They pulled up behind a couple trees, out of sight but still close to the base. Medic and Spy turned towards each other and demo inched forward to them* You know vhat you are doing, Herr Spy? *medic whispered through his ski mask* Yes I do *Spy nodded and gently opened the car door* Eh, Spy? *Spy sighed and turned back around* You have your comm on zhe right channel, right? *Medic smiled nervously. Spy nodded and pulled his scarf farther over his face before popping the car door and landing knee deep into snow. He shivered and shut the door behind him, slowly making his way down to one side of the enemy base*

Engie got up and shook some pulling the coat tighter around his arms , usually the coat wouldn’t fit but being that he hadn’t taken the time to eat anything in the past few weeks he was a little leen . He zipped it up before walking over to the log stack and grabbing a couple , muttering to himself . Sniper shivered and shook his head . “ m-mate we don’t know how long we’re gonna be here we have to save those “ . Engie stopped in his tracks and looked up trembling “does anyone …. besides your friend know where we are ?” He stared at the wall before turning around . Sniper tripped over his words unable to form anything before shaking his head “ no “. Engie looked at the floor before taking an exhale to calm down “ what supplies … do we have to work with” . Sniper went into the smaller separate room and brought out a small bag with a few water bottles , some bandages , a lighter . Some cigarettes. A hand held radio and a gun . Engie poked around the bag before looking up “ ya didn’t think to bring any food ? “   
“ well it’s not like we were bloody intending to get snowed in “. He pointed and pulled out another cigarette . Engie shook his head and pulled it out of his hand “ don’t do that boy that’s nasty “. He stuck it back down into the bag engie sighed “well ya had to have known coming out here unless if … we’ll sometimes the weather can be unpredictable.. I-it’s fine “ he coughed a little , his breath exhaling into clouds of vapor before them. Sniper shivered and engie sighed, taking the coat off and handed it back , keeping the beanie on . “ take it … we’re gonna have to share “ . Sniper nodded jittering and grabbed it , slipping his arms into the sleeves . Engie continued to observe the contents to see what he could salvage before taking the radio out and turning it - on sniper glared over “ I doubt that’s g-gonna give you a signal lad .. w-we’re pretty far off “ he hummed and licked his dry lips , “ w-we could be stuck h-here for a while “. He rubbed his hands in his pockets , dry and stale from the temperatures .

“ I know but we’re gonna have to do our best . He glared up and took the log over to the fire before grabbing the stick and poked the faint embers , stirring them as they snapped and crackled , he leaned down close and blew on them gently , trying to spark them so he wouldn’t have to waste the lighter and cupped his hands , there was a small sizzle of smoke . Then a flame . He smiled and put in another log letting it take hold , keeping watch over it until they had a small fire. 

“ cmere shiveres . We ain’t dying from hypothermia… at least not yet “ 

Engie sighed and sat down in front of the small fire , holding his hands up to it . Sniper timidly looked over before shaking and approaching , he was a little scared of the BLU but he wouldn’t start anything he didn’t have to. He kneeled down on his bony knees near the flames and held his hands up too . His lips were chapped so he continued to lick them or hold them under his hands which only made them burn worse so he started biting them in habit . Engie kept to himself unsure of how to approach the RED and bolted his jaw shut again , just keeping to himself . It wasn’t until then that he really began to ponder the future , would they make it out and if they did what would wait in the other side? , would the sniper betray him and bring him to Redmond?,.. would his companion return and take them away to another isolated location .?. would the sniper turn on him and harm him ?.. would he die freezing to death or from hunger ?… Would he lose his mind ? That idea didn’t scare him so much being that it has already happened before . Maybe this was a test from Bluetarch to see how resilient he was .. he didn’t know but the questions continued to flood his mind- so deeply that he mumbled most of it aloud without even realizing it .   
Sniper turned his head and looked over, raising an eyebrow. Some of the questions seemed preposterous but he found a couple kind of funny , he let him ramble for a bit before realizing how more dramatic his questions were getting and how the tone in his voice had drastically changed . He nudged the engineer's shoulder lightly and he didn’t stop for a moment before his senses finally detected someone in contact with him and he perked up some . Running off course with his endless monologue “ uhh yeah ?”. Sniper took his hand back and rubbed them together again. “ I’m not .. here to hurt you … and I don't have any intention or interest doing so-so don’t worry about that .. and as for the plan. my companion here was gonna break ya here to a point so he could take you to Redmond and from there I have no clue, but I have no interest as I stated before . In all honesty I wanted to get away from here” his dry eyes became watery as they gazed into the fire , the glows and sparks dancing crossed his iris “I don't think any of it’s fair .. I mean I don’t know what was on your contract but it certainly couldn’t have been the same .. all we got was basically a wager saying we’d fight three times a week and take up some space in a building but more than less that’s all … I should’ve known they’d pull a doozy .. writing all them tiny letters on the back , I really am naive “ he stroked the bottom of his stubbled chin and shook his head “ I just wanted to do my job and make a few mutuals but .. of course it couldn’t just be easy .. I mean heh what really is ? “. Engie lowered his hands some and stuck them in between his folded legs.  
Well .. our boss was pretty straight forward about what we’d be gettin into but I h-had no idea it’d be so lonely .. I figured someone would wanna strike up a conversation but my team could care less about me , figure they’re all happy to get rid of me by now “. he chuckled and shook his head with a faltering smile “ they’ll probably sweep my room clean and then spy can take whatever he’s after without a complaint “ he continued to smile but it sunk some “ demo probably never even noticed I was gone and the medic will just shrug and keep working on his studies ” . He looked down at the floor before shaking his head again . “ hell if Redmond thinks he can scoop something outta me - well ,,.. I’m all his “ - I’ve got nothin else to lose “ . Sniper looked over and sighed “ none of that is true and you know it .. I’ve heard how isolated that base is, especially with us always parked out but … you can’t say that you are very talented -w- Why else would he be after ya for one and two it’s hard to say but there’s a lot more for ya to lose . W-we’re gonna figure this out and I’ll get ya outta this somehow” . He fumbled and looked up . Blinking a few times before coughing and rubbing his nose. Engie looked over at him before smiling faintly and going back to an empty look “ it’s alright , thanks … it’s been a toll on my passion and pride ever since I got here. I just figure what’s gonna happen Is gonna happen and it’s outta my control .“ he shrugged, putting his warm hands to the sides of his face and cheeks.

“well what I’m “ gonna “ make happen is going to happen. I don’t think this place is good for ya and there are certainly better places for a brilliant person like yourself to work and I’ll get ya out of it . You and the rest of my mates” . He made a fist confidently and smiled a toothy grin before toning his excitement down and looking back into the black wood again.

**Author's Note:**

> Oooo hohohoho


End file.
